After years of visiting Europe from Los Angeles, I took the plunge and relocated to Barcelona in 2020.
I've spent the former six years really making Spain awareness akin home, but whenever I archetypal moved, there were certainly a few experiences and traditional norms that took several getting used to.
Here's what amazed me the most whenever I moved from the US to Spain.
I knew Barcelona was in Spain, but the area of Catalonia has its own tongue and culture.
Barcelona is the chief of Catalonia, a northeastern area of Spain. When I archetypal moved, I assumed Spanish would be the go-to language, but I was fairly mistaken.
When you stroll into stores and restaurants, the menus and signs are normally in Catalan. And although everyone speaks Spanish, it's motionless fine to cognize a few Catalan words and phrases to be polite and regard the culture.
A few of my favorites are "adéu" ("goodbye"), "si us plau" ("please"), "molt bé" ("very well"), and "merci" ("thank you").
There are a few distinctive holiday traditions I had to study whenever I moved.
There's no Valentine's Day here, but in delayed April, they have Sant Jordi — a ritual of affection during which women are expected to provision a man a publish in toggle for a rose.
Many group additionally commemorate La Mona on the Monday following Easter. Traditionally, godparents provision their godchildren an egg-shaped pie for the entire family to enjoy.
My all-time favorite Catalonia traditions come at Christmas.
For the entire duration of December, children depart food and h2o out for Caga Tió, which translates to pooping log. Then they hit the log alongside a rod on Christmas Eve, and Caga Tió "poops out" presents.
People obtain this tradition extremely seriously; the streets of Barcelona are adorned alongside this pooping log, and fair concerning all shop has one in its window.
In the identical vein, caganers are another fascinating Christmas tradition in Catalonia. The small pooping figurine is placed in nativity scenes to portray fertilization and anticipation for the new year.
Now, there are caganer shops all complete Barcelona year-round for tourists. Nearly all community fig has been transformed into a caganer, from Freddy Mercury to SpongeBob SquarePants to Joe Biden.
Tapas are genuinely a way of existence here.
Tapas, small, shareable plates, are prevalent in restaurants throughout Barcelona.
I affection this way of dining since you get a small sensation of everything. I typically command between three and six tapas to portion alongside a companion or two.
Some of the most famous tapas contain croquetas, which are benevolent of akin a breaded meatball; patatas bravas, cubed potatoes served alongside mayo and a tomato sauce; pimientos del pardón, small fried green peppers; and tortilla espanñola, a Spanish omelet prepared alongside egg and potato.
I've established it amazingly uncomplicated to have a stable manner here.
Barcelona is known for its nightlife, from awesome cocktail bars to decadent nightclubs that remain open until the wee hours of the morning. However, it additionally offers additional relaxed activities than I imagined.
Because of the great, heated climate nearly year-round, there are countless outdoor fitness and yoga classes in the parks and on the beaches. I've additionally seen plentifulness of volleyball and paddleboarding.
I can continually balance out a untamed night of drinking and dancing alongside a lengthy stroll on the coast and an midday yoga class.
Sandwiches for dawn meal are the norm.
A typical Spanish breakfast is a bocadillo, a sandwich served on baguette-style bread.
The bread is archetypal rubbed alongside caller tomatoes, referred to as "pan con tomate," to get the ideal amount of sensation and texture. Then it's traditionally filled alongside ham, but sometimes there's additionally dairy merchandise or a murphy omelet inside.
The affordable dish is normally served alongside a coffee in the morning.
I didn't cognize concerning calçots or that there was a traditional way to eat them until I got here.
Calçots period typically runs from delayed winter into first spring, and it's fairly the experience.
Eating calçots and experiencing the tradition rearward them was a archetypal for me. They're part of the bulb family, akin to scallions, and they're grilled and served alongside a romesco condiment made from puréed tomato, garlic, and almonds.
Traditionally, you're stated a bib and gloves to dive into the bulb dish. The bib is merely to keep you from making a disorder of yourself, and the gloves authorize you to eliminate the external tier of the bulb before indulging.
Then you dip your calçot in the sauce, tilt your caput back, and eat it in one big gulp.
Here, meal is served way afterward than I'm used to.
In the US, I ate meal about 7 pm all night — perchance 8 or 8:30 pm if I was operating late.
But in Spain, I had to get used to a entire new dining schedule. Dinner is typically served about 9 or 10 p.m.
People really obtain their period to eat and socialize alongside whoever they're dining with, so by the period you've completed dessert, it could effortlessly be midnight.
There are mountains and beaches surrounding the city, and you could sojourn the two in a sole day.
The Collserola mountains cradle Barcelona from the west, and it lone takes concerning 30 minutes to attain the foothills by community transportation.
From there, you can hike up to the celebrated Tibidabo amusement park or merely stroll through the trails.
After operating up a sweat, you can effortlessly cruise downward to the sea and go for an midday swim.
Many weekend trips are effortlessly accessible and breathtaking.
Costa Brava, accessible chiefly by car or bus, is a short journey from Barcelona.
The shoreline runs between Spain and France, and it's merely magical. I can't assistance but be hypnotized by the apparent turquoise waters and sandy beaches.
In the summer, the beaches are lined alongside xiringuito, pop-up restaurants that assist tapas and sangria.
The coastline is additionally jam-packed alongside history. In the town of Tossa de Mar, you have to crawl through an old castle entrance to get to among the beaches, and near Cadaqués, you can sojourn the home anywhere Salvador Dali lived.
The midday siesta is a genuine thing, and you have to scheme accordingly.
"Siestas," Spanish for naps, are really a way of existence here. If you're trying to run errands in Spain, be prepared to scheme about midday and weekend closures.
Although larger retailers akin Zara, H&M, and big supermarkets remain open during regular operating hours, the smaller mom-and-pop shops normally near from concerning 2 to 4 pm all day.
This is the period for workforce to go residence and rest, have lunch, or merely obtain a nap. And fair concerning everything, including the big shops, is closed on Sundays.
Gaudí architecture is everywhere, and it's beautiful.
Barcelona is complete of former and beautiful architecture. Antoni Gaudí was a Catalan decorator whose amazing and intricate designs can be seen all about the city.
I genuinely discover myself strolling in amazement on a regular basis — I can't accept I get to obtain in these amazing sights on my dawn commute.
The Sagrada Familia church is arguably his most celebrated work. Although Gaudí died in 1926, the project was completed in 2026.
This narrative was initially published in May of 2022 and most lately updated on September 18, 2026.
